Dual directional control for text entry

Abstract

Disclosed herein are systems and methods for text using directional input. A computing system causes display of a user interface including a first set of characters and a second set of characters. A first directional control of a user input device is associated with the first set of characters, and a second directional control of the user input device is associated with the second set of characters. Characters are selected based on receipt of directional input from the directional controls, and based on detecting that directional input ceases, the selected characters are input into a text entry portion of memory.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method comprising:
 causing display of a user interface including a first set of characters and a second set of characters;   associating a first directional control of a user input device with the first set of characters;   associating a second directional control of the user input device with the second set of characters;   selecting at least one of:
 a first character of the first set of characters based on receipt of first directional input from the first directional control, and 
 a second character of the second set of characters based on receipt of second directional input from the second directional control; and 
   based on detecting that one of the first directional input or the second directional input ceases, inputting the first character or the second character, respectively, into a text entry portion of memory.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the first set of characters are located along first radial vectors that extend outward from a first point, and the second set of characters are located along second radial vectors that extend outward from a second point, such that no more than one of the first set of characters and no more than one of the second set of characters are located along any one of the first radial vectors and second radial vectors, respectively, and   the first character is located in a first radial direction, relative to the first point, that corresponds to the first directional input, and the second character is located in a second radial direction, relative to the second point, that corresponds to the second directional input.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising causing at least one of the first character or the second character to be displayed in a text entry field within the user interface. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising based on inputting both the first character and the second character, determining a third character for text entry. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the first set of characters correspond to characters for left-hand typing on a QWERTY keyboard layout, and the second set of characters correspond to characters for right-hand typing on a QWERTY keyboard layout. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first set of characters and the second set of characters include separate characters of commonly typed bigrams of a predetermined language. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 selecting an initial character of the first set of characters based on an initial direction of the first directional input; and   selecting the first character of the first set of characters further based on a change of the first directional input from the initial direction to a direction that corresponds to the first character without detecting an cessation of the first directional input between the initial direction and the direction that corresponds to the first character.   
     
     
         8 . A computing system comprising:
 one or more processors;   memory; and   one or more program modules that are stored on the memory and that are executable by the one or more processors to:
 cause display of a user interface, the user interface including a first set of characters and a second set of characters; 
 associate a first directional control of a user input device with the first set of characters; 
 associate a second directional control of the user input device with the second set of characters; 
 input into a text entry portion of the memory one of the first set of characters based at least on cessation of the first directional input associated with the first directional control; and 
 input into the text entry portion of the memory one of the second set of characters based at least on cessation of a second directional input associated with the second directional control. 
   
     
     
         9 . The computing system of  claim 8 , wherein the one or more modules are further executable to cause display of the one of the first set of characters and the one of the second set of characters within the user interface. 
     
     
         10 . The computing system of  claim 8 , wherein the one or more modules are further executable by the one or more processors to determine a character for display based on both the one of the first set of characters and the one of the second set of characters being input into the text entry portion of memory. 
     
     
         11 . The computing system of  claim 10 , wherein the one or more modules are further configured to determine the character for display based on the one of the first set of characters and the one of the second set of characters being input into the text entry portion of memory within a predetermined amount of time of one another. 
     
     
         12 . The computing system of  claim 8 , wherein the one or more modules are further configured to cause display the one of the first set of characters and the one of the second set of characters within the user interface. 
     
     
         13 . The computing system of  claim 8 , wherein the user input device is a game controller, the first directional control includes a first thumbstick, and the second directional control includes a second thumbstick. 
     
     
         14 . The computing system of  claim 13 , wherein the first set of characters are arranged around a point such that more frequently selected ones of the first set of characters are situated in first radial directions relative to the point, and less frequently selected ones of the first set of characters are situated in second radial directions relative to the point, wherein manipulation of the first thumbstick associated with the first radial directions includes a thumb pulling motion and manipulation of the first thumbstick associated with the second radial directions includes a thumb pushing motion. 
     
     
         15 . The computing device of  claim 8 , wherein the first set of characters correspond to characters for left-hand typing on a QWERTY keyboard layout, and the second set of characters correspond to characters for right-hand typing on a QWERTY keyboard layout. 
     
     
         16 . One or more computer-readable media storing instructions executable by one or more processors of a computing system to cause the computing system to:
 cause display of a user interface, the user interface including a first set of characters arranged in a first area and a second set of characters arranged in a second area;   associate first user directional input received via a first directional control of a user input device with the first set of characters;   associate second user directional input received via a second directional control of the user input device with the second set of characters;   input selected ones of the first set of characters based at least on determining that the first directional input ceases; and   input selected ones of the second set of characters based at least on determining that the second directional input ceases.   
     
     
         17 . The one or more computer-readable media of  claim 16 , wherein the instructions are further executable by the one or more processors to cause the computing system to display the selected ones of the first set of characters and selected ones of the second set of characters within the user interface. 
     
     
         18 . The one or more computer-readable media of  claim 16 , wherein:
 the user input device is a game controller, the first directional control includes a first thumbstick, and the second directional control is includes a second thumbstick,   an arrangement of the first set of characters in the first area is such that more frequently selected ones of the first set of characters are situated in first radial directions relative to a central point of the first area, and less frequently selected ones of the first set of characters are situated in second radial directions relative to the central point of the first area, and   the first radial directions and the second radial directions are such that manipulation of the first thumbstick associated with the first radial directions corresponding to the more frequently selected ones of the first set of characters includes a thumb pulling motion, and manipulation of the first thumbstick associated with the second radial directions corresponding to the less frequently selected ones of the first set of characters includes a thumb pushing motion.   
     
     
         19 . The one or more computer-readable media of  claim 16 , wherein the first set of characters and the second set of characters include separate characters of commonly typed bigrams of a predetermined language. 
     
     
         20 . The one or more computer-readable media of  claim 16  wherein the first set of characters correspond to characters identified for left-hand typing on a QWERTY keyboard layout, and the second set of characters correspond to characters identified for right-hand typing on a QWERTY keyboard layout.